Quotes on writing for mobile

What writers & others say

“The magic of mobile marketing lies in the fact that people are seldom separated fromtheir mobile phones. Like Gollum and the One Ring in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, people are loath to be away from their precious technology, which keeps them connected to the world and provides them with timely information.”

— Rich Barber, marketing manager at Blackstone Media

“In the old days, advertisers could only reach people in their homes, their cars and their offices by television, radio, direct mail, billboards, etc. Now, they can reach them anywhere — when they’re shopping, going out to eat, sitting in a dentist’s office or at a ball game.”

— Rich Barber, marketing manager at Blackstone Media

“The major advantage mobile advertisers have is that they are reaching people who often already have their wallets out, ready to buy something. The only thing then is to convince them to spend the money at your restaurant, barber shop, paint store or flower shop —and the closer they are to you, the better.”

— Rich Barber, marketing manager at Blackstone Media

“Apparently we love our own cell phones but we hate everyone else’s.”

“Nefertiti did not have to contend with ‘smartphone face,’ the term coined by cosmetic doctors to describe the shortening of the neck muscles and pull on the jowls caused by spending hours looking down at laptops, mobiles and iPads.”

— Tanith Carey, writer, in The Daily Mail

“Three objects were considered essential across all participants, cultures and genders: keys, money and mobile phones.”

— Jan Chipchase, chief usability researcher, Nokia

“She didn’t bother to check Ian’s message on her voice mail. She hardly ever listened to voice mails — if people had something important to say, well, that’s what texts were for.”

— character in Chelsea Cain’s The Night Season

“Scrolling online is so, like, 50 minutes ago.”

— Mario Garcia, CEO of Garcia Media and founder of the Graphics & Design program at The Poynter Institute for Media Studies

“Avoid the ‘frustrated finger’ when designing for tablets. Engage the finger as well as the brain and eyes.”

— Mario Garcia, CEO of Garcia Media and founder of the Graphics & Design program at The Poynter Institute for Media Studies

“I want to be buried with a mobile phone, just in case I’m not dead.”

— Amanda Holden

“Simply pushing out the same content that has worked on the Web isn’t likely to work on a smaller screen manipulated by tapping and swiping instead of clicking.”

— Shel Holtz, principal, Holtz Communication + Technology

“Right, my phone. When these things first appeared, they were so cool. Only when it was too late did people realize they are as cool as electronic tags on remand prisoners.”

— David Mitchell, British actor, comedian and writer

“A Eurobarometer survey of almost 1,000 children in 29 countries found most had telephones after age 9.”

— The New York Times

“Cute babies are always nice, but in a mobile user interface, stock photos only push salient information off the small screen.”

— Jakob Nielsen, “king of usability”

“Content comprehension suffers when you’re looking through a peephole, because there’s little visible context. The less you can see, the more you have to remember, and human short-term memory is notoriously weak.”

— Jakob Nielsen, “king of usability”

“The phrase ‘mobile usability’ is pretty much an oxymoron.”

— Jakob Nielsen, “king of usability”

“Short is too long for mobile.”

— Jakob Nielsen, “king of usability”

“We still see users struggle to hit tiny areas that are much smaller than their fingers. The fat-finger syndrome will be with us for years to come.”

— Jakob Nielsen, “king of usability”

“The term for the fear of, and obsession with, losing and/or being without a smartphone is Nomophobia (No-mobile-phobia) which was coined by UK researchers. This growing dependency and addiction to smart phones is very similar to substance addiction or other compulsive behaviors.”

— Shawn Parr, founder of Bulldog Drummond

“In today’s modern world, people are either asleep or connected.”

— Janice H. Reinold, Rosetta Marketing

“Clearly, the days when parents admonished their kids to use cell phones only for emergencies are over.”